# VA Billing Accountability Act: Plain Language Summary

This bill protects veterans from being charged for medical care when the Veterans Affairs Department messes up and sends them a bill too late. Right now, if the VA makes an error and delays notifying a veteran about a copayment they owe, the veteran can still be stuck paying it anyway. This bill changes that by giving the VA Secretary the power to waive (forgive) those payments when the VA's own mistake caused the delay.

The bill sets clear deadlines for when the VA must notify veterans about bills. For care received at VA hospitals and clinics, the VA has 180 days to send a bill. If they miss that deadline because of their own error, they can't collect the payment. For care received at non-VA facilities (like private hospitals that the VA sends veterans to), the VA has 18 months to send a bill. If they miss that deadline due to an error by the VA, a non-VA facility, or an employee, they can't collect it either. This applies to all types of VA-covered care—hospital stays, doctor visits, medications, and nursing home care.

The bill also requires the VA to give veterans important information before trying to collect a late bill. Veterans must be told how to apply for a waiver, how to set up a payment plan, and given the chance to do either one before the VA tries to collect through other means like sending it to a collection agency. Additionally, the VA has six months after this bill becomes law to review and improve its billing systems and notification procedures to prevent these problems from happening in the first place. Essentially, this bill shifts responsibility onto the VA to get their billing right and protects veterans from paying for mistakes that aren't their fault.

VA Billing Accountability Act

Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11]

VA Billing Accountability Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to waive the requirement that a veteran make co-payments for medications, hospital care, nursing home care, and medical services in certain situations. Specifically, a veteran may have such co-payments waived if (1) an error committed by the VA or a non-VA facility delayed co-payment notification to the veteran, and (2) the veteran received such notification later than 180 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. In requiring a veteran to make a co-payment for care or services provided at a VA or a non-VA medical facility, the VA shall notify the veteran not later than 180 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. If the VA does not provide notification by such date, it may not collect the payment, including through a third-party entity, unless the veteran is provided with (1) information about applying for a waiver and establishing a payment plan with the VA, and (2) an opportunity to make a waiver or establish a payment plan. Finally, the bill requires the VA to review and improve its co-payment billing internal controls and notification procedures.